TIMMY'S WHODUNIT

Timmy. That's what we call him now. But for us, he has many names. Malou, Robert, Finn or Wally. Because every day, whales die in our nets. You just don't see them.

What we are currently witnessing is an isolated case caught on camera. A visible fate that touches people, that is discussed. Some help, others doubt, still others joke. Everyone has an opinion. And in the middle of it all lies an animal that essentially wants only one thing: to return to the sea. Or simply to die in peace.

But the real story doesn't begin on the sandbank. It begins far out at sea. Where ghost nets drift, where animals get entangled, lose energy and often struggle for a long time before we even notice. We don't know what Timmy experienced. But we do know that such stories happen every day, without names, without live tickers, without rescue operations.

Sometimes Timmy is called Malou, Robert, Finn or Wally by us, because every day whales die in our nets.

And that's exactly why we need to change our perspective. Away from isolated cases, towards the very near future. Towards countries that are already showing that there is another way, that retrieve nets daily and actively protect our European seas. An emergency plan where everyone knows what to do when it happens again.

Because so far there are many coastal rules, but nobody controls them. Bycatch is concealed, problems remain invisible and responsibility is too often passed on. What is needed instead is not short-term activism, but structure: clear responsibilities, clear rules and above all, control.

It cannot be that we privately, with Bracenet, or through joint support with you from NGOs like Sea Shepherd or Mission Erde, have to solve a global economic problem. And we can't do it anyway. But giving up is not an option.

Perhaps Timmy is not just another whale. But a wake-up call.

Best regards, your Bracenet Team

Madeleine